Sharks' Point Is Well Taken / Despite loss, San Jose gets Blues rematch

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, April 8, 2001

First, the Sharks showed appreciation by giving their fans 10th anniversary hats. Then the fans showed their appreciation by flinging them back on the ice.

In the end, everyone was showing their appreciation for Mike Ricci.

San Jose's late-season hero, whose hair wouldn't even begin to fit under any hat, scored his third goal of the game with only 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation yesterday. That enabled the Sharks to earn a point in the standings to clinch fifth place in the Western Conference despite losing 5-4 in overtime to the Dallas Stars.

A rematch with fourth-place St. Louis is now set. Regardless of the outcome today when San Jose closes out the regular season in Anaheim, the Sharks know they get the Blues again. As No. 8 seeds last season, San Jose upset President Trophy-winning St. Louis in seven games.

Without Ricci's contributions the past six games, San Jose would be looking at a much lower seed or no postseason possibilities at all. The 29-year-old center has scored eight of his 22 goals this season in the past six games, a stretch in which the Sharks earned nine critical points in the standings.

"He's on fire," teammate Tony Granato said. "The more you see him the more you appreciate his work away from the puck and what he does around the net. He deserves those goals."

Ricci stepped into the left faceoff circle across from Stars centerMike Modano with 7.6 seconds remaining, and his team trailing 4-3. Moments earlier, Jeff Norton beat Modano to an icing, which brought the faceoff just to the right of goalie Ed Belfour.

"Mike's really tough on faceoffs," Ricci said of Modano, who won nine of 16 draws yesterday. "I really wanted to bear down. I did so much I almost fell down, so I sort of head-butted him to keep my balance."

Ricci won the draw clean to the left point where Teemu Selanne kept the puck in the zone. He wanted to shoot, but didn't see any opening.

"I wanted to shoot, but their guys were there so fast," Selanne said of the Stars lined up to block his effort. "I knew Patrick (Marleau) was going to be in the middle because that's my usual spot on that play."

Selanne opted for a cross-ice pass to Marleau, who stepped into a one-timer from the high slot. Ricci was surprised to find himself alone in front as Modano and no defensemen followed, so he had no problem redirecting Marleau's drive. The puck slithered between Belfour's pads and came to rest only 2 feet over the goal line as pandemonium broke out.

"I was the beneficiary of the other guys' hard work," said Ricci, who added an assist for a season-high four-point game.

It didn't matter that Modano scored his second of the game and 33rd of the season 2:10 into sudden death because the Sharks did what they needed.

"It would have been a sour note finishing sixth when we had two games left to get into fifth," Ricci said.

Not known for his scoring, Ricci notched his second career hat trick -- both coming in San Jose. While a member of the Quebec Nordiques, Ricci scored five goals against the third-year Sharks in February 1994. That year, he produced a career-high 30 goals.

After scoring 15 the following season, Ricci's output dropped for several years until he achieved 20 goals last season, and topped that total with his late surge this season.

"That's awesome, good for him," said Scott Thornton, who scored his 19th yesterday, a career-high. "He's the guy who gets all those hard-working goals in from of the net. He was the hero tonight."

NOTES: RW Tony Granato returned after missing two games with a chest injury.

. . . D Gary Suter will miss his fifth consecutive game tonight with a fluid buildup in his right calf.